Legislative Update 5/3/2024

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 5-3-24 (PDF)

May 3, 2024

The pace has slowed considerably in the Senate.  The budget needs to be approved by next Friday, May 10th, and the Senate has yet to debate it, leaving little time for negotiations with the House.  Below are summaries of bills of interest.  Changes from the last report, including committee assignments and hearings, are noted in red.  Bills that have not been perfected are unlikely to pass and have been deleted.  Bills that have not passed one chamber have been lined through.

Link to the Senate hearing schedule can be found here.

Link to the House hearing schedule can be found here.   

Priority Bills

HB 2065 (Owen) – authorizes St. Louis County and any municipality with more than 1,500 inhabitants and not located in St. Louis County to establish a land bank.  Local Government Committee. Heard 2/13.  Passed Committee 2/20.  Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 3/4.  Perfected 3/6.  Passed House 3/11.  Senate Emerging Issues Committee.  Heard 4/9.  Passed Committee 4/23.  (Support)

Economic Development Bills

HB 2058 (Keathley) – requires CIDs and TDDs to be approved by 2/3 vote of the governing body.  Also prohibits resubmission of failed tax proposals for two years unless the proposal is substantially changed. The bill also excludes streaming services from the definition of video services thus eliminating streaming services from local fees.  Government Efficiency & Downsizing Committee.  Heard 2/7.  Passed Committee 2/14.  Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 2/26.  Perfected 3/15.  Passed House 4/3. Senate General Laws Committee.  (Oppose)

Election Bills

HB 1604 (Hinman) – changes the filing period for April elections to the 16th Tuesday prior to the election to the 13th Tuesday prior to the election, unless the 13th Tuesday prior to an election falls on a holiday, then the closing of filing shall be the next day that is not a holiday.  Elections Committee.  Heard 1/9.  Passed Committee Consent (Non-controversial) 1/30.  Referred Consent & House Procedures Committee.  Passed Committee 2/13.  Passed Rules Committee 2/13 Consent.  Passed House 3/7.  Senate Local Government & Elections Committee.  Heard 4/2.  Passed Committee 4/15.

HB 2140 (McGaugh) – changes filing period to open 16 weeks before election and close 13 weeks before election.  Elections Committee.  Heard 1/16.  Passed Committee 1/30.  Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 2/12.  Perfected 3/12.  Passed House 3/28.  Senate Local Government & Elections Committee.

Miscellaneous Bills

HB 1720 (Falkner) – defines as closed records email addresses and telephone numbers submitted to a public governmental body by individuals or entities for the sole purpose of receiving electronic or other communications limited to newsletters, notifications, advisories, alerts, and periodic reports.  Local Government Committee.  Heard 1/16.  Passed Committee 1/23.  Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 1/29.  House Perfection Calendar. Perfected 2/6. Passed House 2/8.   Senate Local Government & Elections Committee.  Heard 3/25.  Passed Committee 4/2.  (Support)

HB 2279 (Toalson Reisch) – requires city populations to be posted on city limits signs.  Transportation Accountability Committee.  Heard 1/18. Passed Committee 2/8.  Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 2/19.  Perfected 3/5.  Passed House 3/7.  Senate Transportation, Infrastructure & Public Safety Committee.

HB 2282 (Lovasco) – no political subdivision shall require an exempt homeowner to obtain any license, certification, or professional registration or submit to any examination or testing as a condition of applying for or utilizing a building or construction permit, provided all 8 work is performed by the owner or other current resident.  Government Efficiency & Downsizing Committee.   Heard 1/31.  Passed Committee 2/14.  Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 2/26.  Perfected 3/5.  Passed House 3/7.  Senate Emerging Issues Committee.  Heard 4/23.

HB 2385 (Keathley) – prohibits local governments from requiring private property owners to accept Section 8 vouchers.  General Laws Committee.  Heard 1/30.  Passed Committee 2/20.  Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 2/26.  Perfected 3/5.  Passed House 3/7.  Senate Emerging Issues Committee.  Heard 4/8.  Passed Committee 4/16.

Public Safety Bills

HB 1481 (Christ) – puts St. Louis City police back under a state appointed board of commissioners.  Crime Prevention & Public Safety Committee.  Heard 2/8.  Passed Committee 2/22.  Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 3/6.  Perfected 3/26.  Passed House 3/28.  Senate Transportation, Infrastructure & Public Safety Committee.  Heard 4/24.  Passed Committee 4/25.

HB 1692 (Sparks) – creates the offense of aggravated fleeing a stop or detention of a motor vehicle if the person knows that a law enforcement officer is attempting to detain the vehicle and the person flees at a high speed which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury or death or causes physical injury or death to another person. This shall be a class D felony if the person creates a substantial risk of injury, a class B felony is the person causes physical injury, and a class A felony if the person causes death of another.  Additionally, a person is presumed to be fleeing a vehicle stop if he or she has seen or heard or reasonably should have seen or heard emergency lights or sounds. It shall not be a defense that the law enforcement officer was acting unlawfully in making the arrest.  Crime Prevention & Public Safety Committee.  Crime Prevention & Public Safety Committee.  Heard 2/8.  Passed Committee 2/22.  Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 3/4.  Perfected 3/12.  Passed House 3/27.  Senate Judiciary & Civil & Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.  Heard 4/22.  Passed Committee 4/29.

Taxation & Revenue Bills

SJR 50 (Koenig) – Constitutional Amendment that modifies a provision prohibiting sales taxes levied on transactions not taxed as of January 1, 2015, by providing an exception for sales and use taxes on subscriptions, licenses for digital products, and online purchases of tangible personal property.  This amendment also provides that no state or local sales or use taxes or any similar transaction-based tax shall be authorized on the provision of video service if the state, a franchise entity, or a political subdivision also imposes a franchise fee on the provider of such video service.  Economic Development & Tax Policy Committee.  Passed Committee 2/19.  Perfected 3/27.  Passed Senate 4/4.  House Tax Reform Committee.  Heard 4/16.  Passed Committee 4/17. Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 4/30.  (Support)

HB 1516 (Murphy) – eliminates St. Louis City earnings tax for remote workers.  Economic Development Committee.  Heard 1/31.  Passed committee 2/21.  Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 3/6.  Perfected 3/11.  Passed House 3/27.  Senate Fiscal Oversight Committee.  Heard 4/18.  Passed Committee 4/24.

Transportation and Vehicle Bills

HB 1511 (Murphy) – requires political subdivisions that require the installation of electric vehicle charging stations at certain businesses to pay the costs associated with the installation, maintenance, and operation of such station.  Government Efficiency & Downsizing Committee.  Heard 1/10.  Passed Committee 1/17.  Referred Rules Committee.  Passed Committee 1/29.  Perfected 2/5.  Passed House 2/8.  Senate Economic Development & Tax Policy Committee.  Heard 3/11.  Passed Committee 4/2.  3^rd Reading Calendar.

Utility & Broadband Bills

HB 1995 (Perkins) – repeals the expiration date of the Uniform Small Wireless Facility Deployment Act.  Utilities Committee.  Heard 1/17.  Passed Committee 1/24.  Consent & House Procedures Committee.  Passed Committee Consent 2/13.  Perfected 3/12.  Perfected 3/12.  Passed House 4/22.  Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy & Environment Committee.

HB 2057 (Keathley) – excludes streaming services from the definition of video services thus eliminating streaming services from local fees.  Utilities Committee. Heard 1/10. Passed Committee 1/24.  Referred Rules Committee. Passed Committee 2/5.  Perfected 2/21.  Passed House 2/29.  Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy & Environment Committee.  Heard 3/26.  Passed Committee 4/3. 3^rd Reading Calendar (Oppose)